MI Stem Cell Researcher Advances Fetal Farming

Sue O’Shea, the director of Michigan Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, spoke at a luncheon hosted by U.S. Congressman Sander Levin (D) and Michigan state Congressman Andy Meisner (D) on August 1, 2006.According to Martha Wood’s report in The Observer, “O’Shea said researchers only want to be able to clone organs to replace malfunctioning ones, which would reduce or abolish the need for transplants.”Assuming Wood’s has accurately reported what O’Shea said, this is nothing short of organ farming!To date stem cells cannot be used to form organs.Certain types of stem cells can only be used to repair existing organs.To do what O’Shea is suggesting we would have to create embryos, gestate them for at least 8-12 weeks, and then remove their organs killing them in the process.

I have blogged on this before.Fetal farming is where biotech is headed.We can stop it now by battling the issue in the market place of ideas before we find ourselves battling it in labs, legislatures, and courthouses.